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by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 12 January 2015
Photo of coat of arms by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán from original image at the National Museum of History (MNH), 12 January 2015Flag and coat of arms adopted: September 16, 1968; by Decree published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación [DOF] of August 17, 1968Flag and coat of arms confirmed: February 24, 1984; by Decree published in DOF of February 8, 1984Use on land: Civil, state and war flagUse at sea: Civil, state and naval ensignRisk of confusion with:Italy, IrelandColors: As for 2013, there is not official shades on both the flag and the coat of arms;
the colors used here are those proposed by the
FOTW colour guide

By Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 12 January 2015
Photo of coat of arms by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán from original image in the MNH, 12 January 2015

The Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el Himno Nacionales [Act on the National Coat of Arms, Flag and Anthem] states [gob84]:

Art. 3rd:
The National Flag is a rectangle divided into three equal vertical stripes
colored in the following order: from hoist to fly: green, white, and red. Centered in the white stripe, the
National Coat of Arms
with a diameter of three fourths of the white stripe's width. The Flag is proportioned four to seven.
It could carry a rope or a cravat of the same colors bellow the truck.
A sample of the National Flag, authenticated by the Three Union Powers representatives,
will remain preserved in the Archivo General de la Nación [National Archive], while other in the Museo Nacional de Historia [National Museum of History].

Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 31 August 2001.

So far, there is no official statement about the color shades of the Mexican flag.
There exist many official corporate manuals published by a number of government bodies using
green, white and red in a variety of shades, none of them to be used on flags.
The following color shades are those proposed only to be used on flags.
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, 31 August 2001.

The current Act, approved on February 24th., 1984, contains a serious effort
to order and pinpoint concepts to regulate both the features and the
adequate and respectful use of the National Coat-of-arms, Flag and Anthem.
However, some aspects necessary to that aim were not adequately contemplated.

Article 2 describes the
Coat of Arms,
considering the lefthand profile of
the eagle alone, with its left talon on the nopal and holding with the
right one and its beak a serpent.

However, Article 2 does not contemplate the customary use of the
coat-of-arms on the reverse of the flag:
the right-hand profile of the eagle
with its right talon on the prickly pear and holding snake with the left one.
Thus offending article 5 of the same Act, which states that "all
reproductions of the national coat-of-arms shall faithfully match the model
described in article 2".

This is clearly visible in the set of two flags which cover the back wall
of (...) this House of Representatives.

We propose to incorporate a second paragraph to article 2:

When the National Coat-of-arms
appears on the reverse side of the National
Flag, the Mexican eagle will show its righthand profile, perched on its
left talon, holding the curved serpent with the right talon and its beak.

Law initiatives regarding the reverse side of the flag were discussed and passed by the Mexican Parliament on
April 20, 1995, being
published in DOF of May 9, 1995
[gob95], adding the article 2nd. of the original Act published on February 8, 1984
[gob84].

The National Coat of Arms
is featured by an Mexican eagle exposing its left profile,
the upper part of the wings in a level higher than plume and slightly displayed in a
battle attitude; with the sustenation plumage downwards touching to the tail whose feathers
are fan-like displayed. It puts its left claw on a bloomed prickly pear borns in a
rock wich, in turn, arises from a lake. It is grasping with the right claw and the beack,
in an eating attitude, a curved snake, harmonizing with the whole achievement.
Several prickly pear's stems grow to the sides. Two branches, one of oak to the front
of the eagle and another one of laurel opposed, form a lower semicircle, both
are united by a ribbon divided into three stripes which, when the National Coat of Arms
is represented in natural colors, match those of the National flag.

When the
National Arms is reproduced in the reverse side of the
National Flag, the Mexican Eagle shall appear standing in its right claw, holding
with the left one and the beack the curved serpent.

Then, according the Flag Act, there exists the reverse side variant with no coat of arms.

According articles 14 and 15 of the Flag Act published on August 17, 1968.
the National Flag is the National Ensign as well
[gob68]:

Article 14. (...) Every single Mexican ship and aircraft shall carry the National Flag, and they shall used it according the corresponding laws and rules (...).

Article 15. The National Flag shall be hoisted everyday on the Migration
Department's offices, customs, harbour master's offices and international airports.

The 1968 act was was replaced by the currently-in-effect
Ley sobre el Escudo, la Bandera y el
Himno Nacionales [Act on the National Coat of arms, Flag and Anthem], published on the DOF of February 23, 1984, in effect
a day later: Feb. 24, 1984.
Though this Act did not modified the national flag and coat of arms features established by
its predecessor one, it was to be promulgated to clarify some details about the national anthem;
thus, several articles were arranged
[gob84]:

Article 15. (...) Every single Mexican aircraft and ship shall carry the National
Flag and they shall use it according the corresponding laws and rules. (...)

Article 16. The National Flag shall be hoisted everyday in the headquarters of the
Powers of the Union, Migration Department's offices, Customs, harbour master's offices, International Airports; at the Diplomatic and Consular Representations abroad, and on the monumental hoist at the Plaza de la Constitución [Main Square] in the Republic's capital city.

There are several odd versions about the origin of the National Colors, but according to Manuel Carrera Stampa the most serious statement about their origin is that provided by Jorge Flores D., who said
[csm60]:

The colors of the flag were surely inspired on those of the arms of the Zelaya [Muy Noble y Muy Leal Ciudad
de la Purísima-Concepción de Zelaya] granted by Phillip IV in 1669, and
placed in the Celaya Regiment's [Regimiento de Celaya] flag of which Iturbide was the Colonel...
Such arms are blue, white and red, in the middle of the white
stripe there is a depiction scene featured by a mezquite three, underneath councilors signing the fundational act... So, it is very probable that the new flag had been
created in Celaya, Guanajuato, instead of Iguala,
for security reasons: his life Ituribide would not risk for the new and original idea to join two rival armies, then he chose
a save and far place from the Insurgentes and close to conservatives: Celaya, Guanajuato(...)

Then, if this theory is true, why did blue change to green?
About red, several sources establish that it was not originally thought to
include it in flags but something kind of purple,
for this actually represented Castile (Spain). Unfortunately, for either
the lack of purple cloth or its high price, the
Three-Guarantees army were forced to use red instead [csm60].Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, October 4, 2001.

Originally the colors were for religion, independence and union.Due to the unpopularity of Agustín de Iturbide, creator of the National Flag;
to the federalistic and secularistic feelings roaming the goverment since the early days of independence,
reinforced by a liberal constitution proclaimed by President Ignacio Comonfort in 1856 and by the
Leyes de Reforma published between 1859 and 1860 by
Liberal President Benito Juárez García, the colors of the
National Flag acquired a new meaning: Green for hope; White for unity, purity, and honesty; while Red stood for parenthood and the blood of national heroes.
Other meaning could be:
Green for the territory (resources, mountains, rivers, etc); White for the people (ethnicity, believes, mixture, honesty, unity, purty); and Red standing for the struggles for remaining the national independence and freedom.
Marc Junele Hoyos, 29 Apr 1998Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, April 21, 2004.

Another circumstance came to change the original meaning of the National Flag colors is because of the emblem adopted by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which,
after the 1910 Revolution, self-proclaimed the unique heir of the Revolution ideals. For many, in
different times, the fact the PRI emblem bears the national colors has been considered an expropiation
of the national identity. Thus, many proposals has been arisen, such as to change the PRI emblem, something that PRI partisans do not even consider in order to prevent other parties' emblems to bear the national colors, leading to a possible change of the National Flag itself.
Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, April 21, 2004.

The Ministry of Education [Secretaría de Eduación] in its official web-site estates that the flag's colours stand for: hope (green), unity (white), hero's blood (red)
Located and translated by Juan Manuel Gabino Villascán, February 24, 2014.